Applicator roller cleaner having adjustable spray header

ABSTRACT

There is disclosed a paint applicator roller cleaner which comprises a tubular housing with a base to support the housing in an upright position and having a through opening to permit free drainage therefrom, a lid supporting a spray header assembly that removably engages the upper end of the housing in a sealing relationship, a spray header in the form of an elongated tube bearing a plurality of longitudinally aligned apertures, pivotably mounted in a through aperture in the lid and extending co-extensively within the housing. The undersurface of the lid also bears a radial groove for removably gripping the handle of an applicator, whereby the roller of a paint applicator can be supported in a vertical position within the housing. Supplementary bracket means are provided on the handle of the applicator to engage about the sidewall of the housing. The spray header is pivotal about its axis to permit variation of the angle of impingement of water jets from its aligned apertures against the roller whereby the rotational speed of the roller can be tuned to the optimum values for cleaning and for drying.

United States Patent 1191 Wright et al.

1 1 Aug. 5, 1975 1 1 APPLICATOR ROLLER CLEANER HAVING ADJUSTABLE SPRAY HEADER [75] Inventors: Orrin Marshall Wright, Fullerton;

Gordon G. Jarosek, Westminster; Willis E. Swanson, Granada Hills. all of Calif.

[73] Assignee: Optiwatch Enterprises, Fullerton,

Calif.

22 Filed: Nov. 26, [973 21 Appl.No.:4l8,893

[52] U.S. CL. 134/113; 134/138; 134/155 [51] Int. Cl B08b 3/02 [58] Field of Search 4/290; 34/58; 68/213; 15/38; 134/138, 139, 143, 149, 153, 155, 175, 113

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2.831.488 4/1958 Anderson 134/138 3,075.534 1/1963 Habostad... 134/149 X 3.126.899 3/1964 Caywood 134/138 3.472251 10/1969 Parker 134/138 3.688.785 9/1972 Stevens 134/138 3.702.013 11/1972 Gebert 4/288 3,732,593 5/1973 Habostad 134/138 X Primary E.\'aminer-Daniel Blum Attorney, Agent, or FirmRobert E. Strauss [57 ABSTRACT There is disclosed a paint applicator roller cleaner which comprises a tubular housing with a base to support the housing in an upright position and having a through opening to permit free drainage therefrom, a lid supporting a spray header assembly that removably engages the upper end of the housing in a sealing relationship, a spray header in the form of an elongated tube bearing a plurality of longitudinally aligned apertures. pivotably mounted in a through aperture in the lid and extending co-extensively within the housing. The undersurface of the lid also bears a radial groove for removabiy gripping the handle of an applicator, whereby the roller of a paint applicator can be supported in a vertical position within the housing. Supplementary bracket means are provided on the handle of the applicator to engage about the sidewall of the housing. The spray header is pivotal about its axis to permit variation of the angle of impingement of water jets from its aligned apertures against the roller whereby the rotational speed of the roller can be tuned to the optimum values for cleaning and for dry 10 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTED AUG 51975 SHEET PATENTEDAUG 51975 3. 897. 797

SHEET 2 Figure 5 F qLLr-e 5 APPLICATOR ROLLER CLEANER HAVING ADJUSTABLE SPRAY HEADER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a cleaner for rollers of paint applicators and the like and, in particular, relates to a cleaner in which a spinning movement is imparted to the roller.

The widespread acceptance of water based paints is largely the result of the facile cleaning of brushes and rollers with water. Nevertheless, a fair amount of time is still required for adequate cleaning of these implements. A mechanical cleaner that would facilitate the task of cleaning these implements, particularly the rollers of paint applicators would be very useful.

There have been an unusually large number of patents which have been granted on inventions in mechanical cleaners for paint application rollers. None of the cleaners which have been marketed have met with wide consumer acceptance, thereby indicating the hid den or unobvious complexities of a seemingly simple device. Prior attempts to provide mechanical cleaners have used water driven turbines, cranks and electric motors to spin the roller during its cleaning. One common approach has been to direct water spray tangen tially against the roller, causing it to spin on the applicator handle or on a separate mandrel. These approaches have been as simple as a nozzle to attach to a garden hose to complex vessels capable of holding a plurality of spinning rollers.

The failings of the prior attempts, as attested by the absence of any widely accepted cleaning device, have resulted from various inadequacies of the devices which are either overly complex for useful operation or are too simple to function properly.

A successful mechanical cleaner must be simple to use and, obviously, must not create a greater clean up problem than the task of manually cleaning a roller. The cleaner should be usable in the household and require no special tools or equipment and should be sufii ciently simple in design to permit inexpensive manufacture. The cleaner should be capable of complete cleaning of a roller in a short time and, preferably, should produce a clean roller which is sufficiently dry to be free of any subsequent dripping or draining of water or other solvent. It is also desirable that the cleaner operate without the constant attention of the operator and without the need to manually hold the roller in position during the cleaning and drying of the roller. The cleaner of this invention achieves all the aforementioned objectives in a manner not achieved by the various prior devices.

BRIEF STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION The mechanical cleaner for rollers of paint applicators and the like which constitutes this invention comprises a tubular housing having a base to support it in an upright position with a through opening in its bottom to permit unimpeded drainage of liquid therefrom, a lid removably secured in a sealing relationship to the upper end of the housing, a spray header assembly of a spray tube extending from a header through the lid and co-extensively with the housing and having a plurality of spray apertures in longitudinal alignment, means carried by one of the lid and housing for pivotally supporting the spray header and roller support means comprising clamping means on the undersurface of the lid whereby the bail or handle of the roller applicator, or a bracket attached thereto, can be rigidly engaged to support a roller in a substantially coaxial position within the housing. The cleaner is preferably used in combination with roller applicator bracket means which can be fixedly secured to the bail or handle of the applicator and which bears clamping means whereby the applicator handle can be engaged to the housing and secured against vibration.

In preferred embodiments, the lid bears indieia that are cooperative with the spray header assembly to register the angles of impingement of the water spray from the header by indicating the angular orientation of the longitudinal row of apertures of the spray tube to the roller. Preferably, the base of the device bears a plurality of support legs which, in the most preferred embodiment, have surface gripping means in the form of suction cups on their undersurface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be described by reference to the drawings, of which;

FIG. I is an exploded view of the components of the cleaner;

FIG. 2 is a sectional elevational view of the top of the unit showing a paint applicator in place with the adaptor bracket;

FIG. 3 is an edge view of the mounting bracket;

FIG. 4 is a view of an alternative water faucet fitting;

FIG. 6 illustrates alternative bracket means carried on the cleaner housing.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The cleaner is shown in FIG. 1 as comprising a generally tubular housing 10, a base 12, a lid 14 and a spray header assembly 16. The housing 10 is shown as a cy lindrical tube which, preferably, bears no slots or slits, thereby permitting simple sealing of the base and lid thereto. The housing should have a diameter from about 5 to about 7 inches, preferably 6 inches, which is sufficient to accommodate most rollers which are from 2.25 to about 4.25 inches in diameter. The height of the housing can be from 12 to about 14 inches, sufficient to accommodate most rollers which are from 3 to about 1 1 inches in length.

Preferably, the cleaner has a base to support it on a drain surface and the base can be of the form shown at 12 with a plurality of feet 18 spaced about its periphery to support the base and associated housing in a generally upright position. The base has a through opening 20 to permit unimpeded drainage of liquids therefrom and supports the roller above the drain surface a sufficient distance, e.g., about I to 3.5 inches, so that water doesnt back up and immerse the roller end and stop it from spinning. As shown, the base is formed by a ring 22 having an annular shoulder 24 to form a seat in which the housing is secured by a press fit, cement, solvent welding and the like.

The legs 18 comprise generally frustum apendages on the lower edge of ring 22. In the most preferred embodiment, the undersurface of legs I8 are concave and the legs are formed of a flexible and resilient material, such as natural or synthetic rubber or other flexible polymers which, preferably, are elastic. This construction provides gripping means in the form of suction cups on the undersurfacc of the legs 18 to permit the removable securing of the cleaner to a smooth surface such as the inside bottom of a sink and the like.

The upper end of housing is open and receives lid 14 in a removable and sealing engagement thereto. The lid is preferably molded of a flexible material such as natural or synthetic rubber or other flexible polymers such as polyolefins, vinyl polymers and the like and has housing sealing means in the form of annular lip 30 about its undersurface that snugly engages the upper end of housing 10 in a friction fit. The lid 14 can be a solid plug, however, it preferably is of a relieved core construction with an arcuate groove 32 in its upper surface. This groove reduces the bulk and mass of the lid and also provides a structure which is more readily flexed during its attachment to and removal from housing 10. The arcuate groove is discontinuous, as shown, to provide a radial rib 34 between the edge and center portions of the lid.

The spray header assembly 16 comprises an elongated spray tube 40 that is closed at its lower end and fixedly secured at its upper or outboard end in a bore in the undersurface of header 42. Header 42 bears means for attachment of a pressured liquid supply means such as tubular boss 44 which can have surface corrugations 46 to provide gripping means to secure the end of hose 48. The latter bears, at its opposite end, a conventional faucet adaptor 50 having clamping means such as hose band clamp 52 with a screw tightener 54. Header 42 has an internal passageway to open communication with tubular boss 44 and tube 40 to permit pressured liquid flow therebetween.

Spray tube 40 bears a plurality of apertures 41 aligned in a longitudinal row along its length. While these apertures can be circular, elliptical, square, etc., they are preferably in the form of closely spaced rectangular slits or slots to form a plurality of flat jets of liquid spray when pressured liquid is supplied to the header.

The spray header assembly is mounted in the cleaner coextensively within the housing 10 by means permitting its pivotal movement on the axis of tube 40. The mounting means can be carried by either the lid 14 of housing 10. The preferred means is shown as a through aperture 60 in a peripheral region of lid 14. The tube 40 is axially aligned and secured by annular groove 62 in the sidewall of aperture 60 which cooperates with circular shoulder 64 on tube 40.

lndicia are preferably provided on lid 14 which are cooperative with indexing means of header 42 to serve as reference points that indicate the angular orientation of apertures 41. Such indicia, which are not essential but preferred only, can be embossed letters with a 0 index and numbers I through 5 to each side thereof in the surface of lid 14 about aperture 60. For ease of illustration, the indicia are shown as a series of lines. The index means of header 42 comprises the pointed end 43 which is in vertical alignment with the longitudinal row of apertures 41. The letter 0 would register the alignment of the jet spray directly between the center of tube 40 and the roller. The numbers l through 5 to either side thereof would register included angles between the centers of the tube and roller, which increase in numerical progression.

The pivotal movement capability of the spray header tube 40 permits setting of the optimum angle of spray impingement against a roller for the desired action. The spray can thereby by set to impinge against the roller for maximum penetration with a minimum of roller rotation during the initial phase of cleaning and then set for maximum rotational speed at the end of the cleaning so that the roller will continue to spin and dry after the liquid supply is shut off. Since the device will accommodate rollers of varied diameter, the actual value selected for each of these phases of cleaning will vary slightly for varied roller diameter.

The shape and construction of lid 14 and its associated spray header assembly 16 will be apparent from FIG. 2. The lid 14 has a relieved undersurface with a central cavity 31 and a radial rib 34 which bears a radial groove 35. Bore 60 is shown to one side of lid 14 with spray tube 40 extending therethrough and with circular shoulder 64 seated in groove 62.

FIG. 2 illustrates a typical applicator and supported roller assembly in position in the cleaner. The roller is shown in a generally coaxial position within housing 10. The bail 72 of a conventional applicator extends from the upper end of its mandrel on which the roller, in the form of a fabric mat sleeve is mounted. The bail 72 of the illustrated applicator has two 90 degree bends 73 and 74 to form a generally U-shape at one end of the roller and another bend 75 near the middle of the roller.

The bight 76 between bends 73 and 74 is retained by radical groove 35 in the undersurface of lid 14. A bracket 77 is also used. This bracket is in the form of two plates 78 and 79 which are secured together in a face to face assembly by fastening means such as screw fasteners 80. The plates are also shown in FIG. 3 and have arcuate grooves to define a through bore 83 along their joined top edge and contiguous, recessed inside surface to form a slot 81 therebetween which extends from an angle of about 45 to about 90 degrees to bore 83. Bore 83 surrounds bight 76 of the applicator bail while slot 81 accommodates leg 84 of the U-shaped bail. Preferably, the inside surfaces of slot 81 are serrated or roughened to improve their gripping of the applicator bail. Some applicators have leg 84 extending at about 45 degrees from bight 76 and the slot 81 of bracket 77 will also accommodate these applicators. The bracket 77 is, therefore, adaptable to substantially all the applicators which are presently available.

The bracket 77 serves as a structural interface between the applicator and cleaner. Since it is universally adaptable to most applicators, a reliable and precise structural interface is thereby provided. The bracket is affixed to the applicator bail and is designed of a shape and placed at a location on the applicator as to not interfere with normal use of the applicator. Once attached, the bracket can be left on an applicator as a permanent attachment or, if desired, can be removed and secured to other applicators as they are placed in service.

Bracket 77 has an upstanding upper edge 85 which fits snugly in radial groove 35 of lid 14 when the latter is seated onto housing 10. The inboard edge 86 of bracket 77 bears a slot 87 and the resultant finger 88 can be truncated as shown. Slot 87 is of sufficient width to permit it to be placed over the upper edge of housing 10 in a snug engagement thereto, thereby creating, with upper edge 85, applicator gripping means along vertical and horizontal lines in the plane of bracket 77. Optionally, the outboard portions of the upper and lower edges of bracket 77 can be chamfered, as shown, to delete excess material.

Various altemative elements can be employed in the construction of the cleaner. FIG. 4 illustrates a conventional faucet fitting 90 having a body 9] with one end bearing an adapter having male threads 93 to fit a faucet and the opposite end having male hose threads 94 to fit a conventional hose coupling 95 shown on hose 48. With faucets having only external male threads, adapter 92 can be removed and body 91 can be threaded directly onto the faucet.

FIG. 5 illustrates an alternative base. In this embodiment, the lower end of housing fits into a shoulder 24 on a hollow, conical base 96. The upper conical portion 97 of the base tapers inwardly gradually to an intermediate diameter to join a smaller conical member 98. The latter should have a diameter sufficient to permit it to be inserted into a conventional disposal inlet or sink drain which is usually about 3.375 inches internal diameter. In this embodiment, the cleaner can be placed directly into the drain or disposal inlet and supported thereon.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative bracket means which is carried on the housing 10. In this embodiment, the upper end of the housing bears two outstanding bracket wings 100 and 101. The wings are substantially parallel and closely spaced to define a slot 102 therebetween in which the bail of an applicator can be placed. The inner surface of these wings can be serrated or roughened or can bear a pliable material such as rubber to enhance gripping of the applicator bail.

The housing 10 can be formed of a stiff or rigid material such as metal or rigid plastics, e.g., polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, Nylon, polyethylene, polypropylene, Teflon, etc. The housing can be formed from sheet material or can be molded or extruded. The base 12 can be formed of similar material, preferably, however, it is molded of a slightly flexible material such as rubber of rubbery polymers, particularly when feet 18 with suction cup undersurfaces are used. The use of flexible material for the base is also preferred to dampen the vibrations which are generated during use of the cleaner. As previously mentioned, lid 14 should be of a flexible material such as rubber or resilient plastics to permit it to be flexed during its placement over the bight 76 or bracket edge 85 and the open upper end of housing 10. Tube 40 and header 42 can be of metal or ofa rigid plastic while hose 48 is, of course, ofa flexible construction.

The use of the cleaner should be fairly apparent from its construction. The bracket 77 is fixedly secured to the bail of the applicator as a permanent fixture. When a roller is to be cleaned, the applicator is placed with slot 87 over the wall of housing 10 and lid 14 with its associated spray header assembly 16 is inserted into the housing. The applicator position is adjusted so that groove 35 engages over the upstanding edge 85 of bracket 77 and lip 30 is seated into the housing 10. The adapted is connected to a suitable source of pressured solvent. This can be a household water faucet for water-base paints or glues. It could also be a source of a paint solvent under pressure for oil-base paints. The usual application, however, will be for cleaning rollers of water-base paints and glues.

The cleaner is positioned at a draining station, typically in a household sink. It can be placed directly over the drain and the legs 18 can be pressed against the drain surface to secure the cleaner against tipping or movement across the surface. The water faucet is then opened and the index 43 of the spray header is turned to the 0 position.

The maximum cleaning and rinsing action can be achieved when the water spray impinges only slightly to one side of the centerline of the roller. The water spray is directed to impinge initially against the roller surface to achieve maximum penetration of the mat of the roller. The setting for this action can be between 0 and 3, depending, chiefly, on the roller diameter. The amount that the impingement departs from the centerline of the roller should be sufficient to rotate the roller slowly in the housing, e.g., at speeds up to about revolutions per minute, so that the entire surface is exposed to the cleaning jet of liquid. High rotational speed which would expel liquid from the roller is avoided in this initial phase of the cleaning since maximum penetration of the mat is necessary for complete cleaning. Typically, the included angle between the jet direction and a straight line between the centers of tube 40 and a roller suspended in housing 10 for maximum penetration is from about ID to about 30.

After the cleaning liquid has thoroughly penetrated and wet the roller mat and flushed the soluble material therefrom, the roller can be spun dry. Generally, the washing period requires from 3 to about 6 minutes with typical household water pressures. The slow rotational speed for washing does not adequately dry most rollers. Accordingly, the included angle of impingement of the liquid jet is increased so that the jet strikes the roller in a direction approaching a tangent to the roller. With most rollers, this will be an angle from about 20 to about 50 and is registered on the cleaner by the indicia of 2 to 5. The liquid jet is permitted to strike the roller for a period sufficient for the roller to reach maximum rotational speed, a condition that can be easily observed by listening to the pitch of the hum generated by the spinning roller. Generally the time interval for this is from 5 to about 10 seconds. Thereupon the supply of liquid is shut off, e.g., the water faucet is closed, and the roller is permitted to spin under its inertia until it stops. When the liquid supply is shut off, it should be turned off abruptly rather than slowly to avoid slowing of the roller. When the roller is removed, it will be found to be free of any dripping and, with most rollers, dry to the touch.

The capability of pivoting the spray header to either side of the 0 index also permits more complete washing of rollers. In the preferred use of the cleaning device, the direction of spray impingement is completely reversed at least once during the cleaning cycle. This is performed by washing the roller as previously mentioned and imparting thereto a moderate to high rotational speed, for example, in a clockwise direction. The water spray is then reversed by pivoting the header tube assembly from its clockwise impingement angle to an opposite or counterclockwise impingement. The rollcr will slowly decrease spinning, stop and then reverse its direction of rotation. The angle of impingement of the spray can, as before, be adjusted to impart a fast spin to the roller and the liquid supply can then be shut off to permit the roller to spin dry. lt has been found that the reversal of spray direction can remove residual paint which is not normally removed. Usually only one spray reversal is necessary to clean a roller thoroughly, however, with some rollers having thick mats or containing material which is difficult to remove, several or more reversals can be made.

The invention has been described with reference to the presently preferred embodiments which are illus trated in the drawings. lt is not intended that the spe cific illustration of such preferred embodiments be construed as unduly limiting of the invention which is intended to be defined by the means and steps, and their obvious equivalents, set forth in the following claims.

We claim:

1. A device for cleaning of a roller applicator and the like which comprises:

a. a generally upright and open-ended tubular housing;

b. a supporting base member secured to the lower end thereof to support said lower end over a drain station and provide substantially unimpeded liquid drainage from said housing;

c. a lid with means for its removable attachment to the upper end of said housing in a sealing relationship thereto;

d. roller applicator bail engagement means carried on the undersurface of said lid to removably engage and secure the bight of the bail of a single roller applicator in a position with the roller of said applicator being supported in a vertical and substantially coaxial position within said housing;

e. bracket means carried by one of said housing and said roller applicator bail to removably engage and secure said bail to said housing;

f. a liquid spray header comprising an elongated tubular member closed at one end and bearing a longitudinal row of apertures; means to supply a pressured source of liquid to the open end of said tubular member;

h. through aperture means carried by said lid in which said tubular member is mounted coextensively within and to one side of said tubular housing with freedom of pivotal movement of said tubular member about its longitudinal axis in a fixedly adjustable manner whereby the angle of impingement of liquid spray from said apertures onto said roller can be varied;

i. indicia carried on said lid and cooperative index means carried by said tubular member to indicate angular orientation of said aperture to said roller to provide selection between positions of maximum spray penetration for roller cleaning and maximum roller rotation for roller drying.

2. The cleaning device of claim 1 wherein said means to supply a pressured source of liquid comprises flexiblc hose means bearing clamping means for removable attachment of said hose means to a household faucet.

3. The cleaning device of claim 1 wherein said bracket means comprises a pair of bracket plates secured in a face to face assembly about the bail of an applicator and bearing along their joined inboard edge, slot means removably engagable with the open, upper end of said housing.

4. The cleaning device of claim 3 wherein said plates have arcuate grooves to define a bore along their assembled top edge which bore surrounds a portion of the bight of said applicator bail and recessed inside surfaces to define a contiguous slot extending therefrom at an angle between about 45 to degrees which slot surrounds the leg of said applicator bail extending from the bight to the handle of said applicator.

5. The cleaning device of claim 4 wherein the top edge of said assembly of bracket plates is removably engaged in groove means on the underside of said lid.

6. The cleaning device of claim 1 t :rein said bracket means comprises a pair of substantially parallel and closely spaced wings extending radially outwardly from an upper portion of said housing to define an upright slot therebetween for gripping of the leg of said applicator which extends from the bight of said applicator to the handle thereof.

7. The cleaning device of claim 1 wherein said base member bears a plurality of legs for the support of said member above a supporting drain surface.

8. The cleaning device of claim 7 wherein said legs are of flexible material and bear concave undersurfaces to provide suction cup means for the fixed attachment of said base to a drain surface.

9. The cleaning device of claim 1 wherein said base member comprises an upright hollow conical member having a lower end ofa dimension permitting its removable inscrtion into a household sink drain.

[0. The cleaning device of claim 1 wherein said aperture bears a peripheral groove with cooperative annular shoulder means on said tubular member to engage said groove when said tubular member is seated in said lid.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent. No. 3,897,797 Dated August 5, 1975 Inventor(s) Orrin Marshall Wright, Gordon G. Jarosek and Willis E. Swanson It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the Specification, Column 2, line 29, after FIG. 4, insert FIG. 5 illustrates an alternative cleaner hose; and.

Signed and Scaled this fourth D3) Of N0vember1975 [SEAL] ANESI.

RUTH C. MASON C. MARSHALL DANN Arresting Officer (nmmissiuner ojParems and Trademarks 

1. A device for cleaning of a roller applicator and the like which comprises: a. a generally upright and open-ended tubular housing; b. a supporting base member secured to the lower end thereof to support said lower end over a drain station and provide substantially unimpeded liquid drainage from said housing; c. a lid with means for its removable attachment to the upper end of said housing in a sealing relationship thereto; d. roller applicator bail engagement means carried on the undersurface of said lid to removably engage and secure the bight of the bail of a single roller applicator in a position with the roller of said applicator being supported in a vertical and substantially coaxial position within said housing; e. bracket means carried by one of said housing and said roller applicator bail to removably engage and secure said bail to said housing; f. a liquid spray Header comprising an elongated tubular member closed at one end and bearing a longitudinal row of apertures; g. means to supply a pressured source of liquid to the open end of said tubular member; h. through aperture means carried by said lid in which said tubular member is mounted coextensively within and to one side of said tubular housing with freedom of pivotal movement of said tubular member about its longitudinal axis in a fixedly adjustable manner whereby the angle of impingement of liquid spray from said apertures onto said roller can be varied; i. indicia carried on said lid and cooperative index means carried by said tubular member to indicate angular orientation of said aperture to said roller to provide selection between positions of maximum spray penetration for roller cleaning and maximum roller rotation for roller drying.
 2. The cleaning device of claim 1 wherein said means to supply a pressured source of liquid comprises flexible hose means bearing clamping means for removable attachment of said hose means to a household faucet.
 3. The cleaning device of claim 1 wherein said bracket means comprises a pair of bracket plates secured in a face to face assembly about the bail of an applicator and bearing along their joined inboard edge, slot means removably engagable with the open, upper end of said housing.
 4. The cleaning device of claim 3 wherein said plates have arcuate grooves to define a bore along their assembled top edge which bore surrounds a portion of the bight of said applicator bail and recessed inside surfaces to define a contiguous slot extending therefrom at an angle between about 45 to 90 degrees which slot surrounds the leg of said applicator bail extending from the bight to the handle of said applicator.
 5. The cleaning device of claim 4 wherein the top edge of said assembly of bracket plates is removably engaged in groove means on the underside of said lid.
 6. The cleaning device of claim 1 wherein said bracket means comprises a pair of substantially parallel and closely spaced wings extending radially outwardly from an upper portion of said housing to define an upright slot therebetween for gripping of the leg of said applicator which extends from the bight of said applicator to the handle thereof.
 7. The cleaning device of claim 1 wherein said base member bears a plurality of legs for the support of said member above a supporting drain surface.
 8. The cleaning device of claim 7 wherein said legs are of flexible material and bear concave undersurfaces to provide suction cup means for the fixed attachment of said base to a drain surface.
 9. The cleaning device of claim 1 wherein said base member comprises an upright hollow conical member having a lower end of a dimension permitting its removable insertion into a household sink drain.
 10. The cleaning device of claim 1 wherein said aperture bears a peripheral groove with cooperative annular shoulder means on said tubular member to engage said groove when said tubular member is seated in said lid. 